Black Canary
by MissLuxe
Summary: Maximum Ride is just your ordinary cheerleader-by-day, crime-lord-by-night teen. That is, until a ghost from her past comes back to haunt her. Cue kidnappings, betrayals, terrigen crystals, inhumans, jealousy, wings, and a pretty pissed-off flock. Fax.
1. A Call from Beyond the Grave

**Maximum Ride is owned by the talented Mr. Patterson**

Maximum "Max" Ride smiled at Ella Martinez as they sat across from each other at the crowded lunch table. Amongst her countless companions, the football players rowdy and teasing the flirtatious cheerleaders, Ella was the only one that Max actually considered a friend, the only one that didn't seem to like her simply because of her popularity. Perhaps it was because they had known each other since freshman year, when both were transfer students and before they'd joined the cheer team together. Whatever the reason, Ella's presence calmed her, filling the atmosphere with the type of positive energy that only her co-captain could. That sense of peace was shattered when Max's phone began vibrating, and she absently picked it up.

"My my, darling, we've been out of touch for far too long." The honeyed voice sent chills down her spine and Max glanced covertly around, trying to ensure that she wasn't drawing attention. Unfortunately, she caught Ella's curious gaze as she growled back.

"You're dead." Her statement was met by a chuckle.

"It would seem that you're wrong. I'm very much alive. In fact, I'm in town for a visit to my favorite little family. You know, the ones that tried to kill me."

"Guess they didn't try hard enough. Let's cut to the chase; what do you want?" The threat that lay evident in her voice began to draw the attention of her table-mates, and so she made a vague hand motion, signaling that all was fine. She strolled a few yards away, her hand keeping a white-knuckled grip on her phone.

"Oh my dear, this isn't about what I want; it's about what you want. Or, more specifically, _who_." A familiar voice came on before Max could ask what the hell he was talking about.

"Max, don't listen to him. He'll leave if he can't get-" Max's heart almost stopped. Angel. The youngest of the "family" they'd created, she was only a freshman and had only recently entered the crime ring with her brother. She was brave, but Max knew her well enough to pick up the slight tremble in her voice, the underlying pain. As soon as Max's heart began to beat again, her blood boiled.

"Brave, isn't she? And very difficult to catch. You've taught her well. But enough of the trivialities; I'm prepared to make an offer." Max scowled. The idea of dealing with Mad Jackson made her sick, but if it was the only way to save Angel, then she'd take it. Clearing her throat, she spoke up.

"What do you want? We've got Metal, Blue, Green...Hell, we could arrange for some Red if that's what it takes."

"I want Flesh." Max's expression darkened further.

"We don't deal in Flesh. Too messy. You know that."

"Oh, but I think you'll make an exception. You see, this isn't regular Flesh. This is specific, easy to get."

"Then you can get it yourself."

"I would, but…it's you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I'll make the exchange at the Willow, at sunset. You for her. Bring a second,no one else." The line went dead, and Max allowed herself one second in which to let herself internally crumple, to consider Angel's words. One second, and then she was back into leader mode, calling Fang. Her second took entirely too long to pick up, especially as he wasn't at school (he'd feigned sick in order to oversee the delivery of a new shipment of Blue).

"Max? Aren't you in school right now?"

"You told me Mad Jackson was dead."

"He is. I pushed him off that building myself."

"Then how the hell did I just talk to him?"

"What? Max, you're not making any sense."

"Nevermind that, I'll explain the whole thing later. Point is, he's got Angel and he wants a trade. For me. It's going down at the Willow tonight, and I can only bring you. Tell Iggy to keep Gazzy occupied until Angel's back in our hands. I'll be at the Warehouse at 7:30. Prep some metal; he'd be a fool not to try to double-cross us." She hung up before he could reply and took a deep breath to steady herself before returning to her table. Ella gaped at her as she sat.

"What the Hell was all that?" Max hated keeping things from Ella, she really did. But the lifestyle that she lived was not one that she would wish upon her best friend, and now was certainly not the time. So she lied through her teeth to one of the only people in the world that she could trust.

"All what?"

"'All what?' You answer your phone, look like you've seen a ghost, go off and shout at whoever you were talking to, then come back like everything's fine." Ella lowered her voice and glanced around. "Unlike these airheads, I _know_ you. So don't shut me out!" Max sighed in resignation and allowed some of her fear to show on her face.

"It's an ex. He says he knows where I am and that I better do what he says."

"Ohmygod, Max! Why didn't you tell me? You should go home and lay low for a while. I'll tell the nurse you had cramps or something, m'kay?" Max smiled in appreciation, already grabbing her things. She had a lot to prepare for.

 **Author's Note: This is my first Maximum Ride fic, I hope that you like it! I've been toying with the idea for a while and have some basic plot points, but suggestions are welcome. The next chapter should be up after I update Miss Potter? (check it out!), please read and review!**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	2. Dealing with the Devil

**Neither Maximum Ride nor Agents of SHIELD belong to me :(**

Though she didn't allow herself to express it outwardly, Max was terrified. She knew that Mad Jackson would likely torture her and kill her because she'd rejected his advances and, well, tried to kill him. All he seemed to care about was causing them pain and suffering. Well, the family would definitely suffer. Fang would step up into her position as leader, but despite his competence he just wasn't as good as her. They'd likely be dead within months.

Fang's shoulder bumping gently against hers brought her back into the present, and together they surveyed the area. They had positioned themselves on top of the Willow, a trendy nightclub popular with Max's daytime friends that also happened to be the cover for the region's crime hub. There was only a minute until sunrise, and yet there was no sign yet of Mad Jackson or Angel. Max rolled her shoulders and felt for the hard metal of the gun under her jacket.

"You think he's changed his mind? Maybe he won't show."

"I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, Maxie." She and Fang whirled, as one, to find Mad Jackson sitting on the edge of the roof, one of his strong hands wrapped around an unconscious Angel's delicate throat. He casually held her closer to the edge, and Fang grabbed Max's arm in warning as she started forwards in protest. "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. It'd be a real shame if my hand were to slip." He punctuated the last word with a jerk of his hand that left Angel hanging out over empty space. Max clenched her jaw, eyes flashing dangerously. "Now, as much as I love chatting with you, and I really do, let's cut to the chase. Max for Angel. I've got a car waiting on the street. The black one there, you see it? Good. Now, I want you to go down there, alone. Fang can take Angel as soon as you're inside."

Max felt her heart begin hammering as if it was trying to burst out of her chest. She glanced around, but still could find no way out of this without Angel dying too. So, she gave Fang what she hoped was a reassuring nod and started towards the stairs, pausing at the top.

"If she dies, so do you." She left her threat hanging in the air. It didn't take Mad Jackson long to slide into the front of the SUV, and suddenly she was at the complete mercy of her greatest enemy.

 **Author's Note: Thank you so much** **Edgeblade25** **and** **Guest** **for your reviews! I've got a lot of new material for this fic so I should be posting updates every few days :) As always, reviews are much appreciated as it shows me how many people are acually interested.**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	3. Pampered Prisoner

**Maximum Ride doesn't belong to me.**

Max awoke in a dark room with the worst headache of her life. The last thing that she remembered was a dull yellow gas being released into the back of the car with an ominous hiss and her world fading to black. She lay still for a second longer, steadying herself and trying to get a feel for her surroundings. The room she was in was dark and cool, but lacked the mustiness of the cell she'd expected. She was in a large, comfortable bed, also unexpected, and completely naked. A shiver ran up her spine as she tried not to imagine who might've undressed her. Max realized with a jolt that someone was shifting beside her, and a large hand came to rest on her shoulder. Mad Jackson's smug voice filled her ear and she tried to jerk away, but his grip only tightened.

"Good morning sleeping beauty. I hope you're ready to get up; we've got a lot to do today." Bile rose to her throat as he pressed a kiss to her collarbone. "Bathroom's on your side, you can take a shower while I have someone prepare your clothes. And don't worry, darling, I won't peek." He stood with a chuckle, and Max adverted her eyes, choosing instead to remain covered until he had left. Once he had done so, she stumbled out of bed and attempted to soothe her nerves and headache under the steady stream of hot water. The shower only served to further unsteady her, however, when she reached for the shampoo and found that it was an old favorite of hers, and a scent that she remembered Mad Jackson say that he liked back when he'd been known as Dylan and a part of the "family". She quickly finished and stepped out, realizing with a jolt that a pretty girl about her age dressed in a simple linen dress was standing there waiting for her. The girl gestured towards a stack of clothes that she had brought, and didn't hesitate to swiftly help Max into them. Max was then ushered into a luxurious chair in front of the vanity as the girl began to do her hair.

"Oh, don't worry, I can do it." But the girl shook her head and swatted her hands away. It was then that Max noticed the black band clasped around the girl's neck, above a tattoo of a red octopus on her collarbone. "Oh my God, is that a _collar_?" The girl set her lips in a thin line in response and Max took a closer look, this time noticing a metallic box attached to the back of the band. "A _shock_ collar?"

"Well you must understand that I need to keep my workers under control, Max." She swiveled to find Mad Jackson leaning against the door frame and scowled, thoroughly disgusted.

"They aren't workers, they're _slaves_! Are you going to put one on me, too?" He shrugged easily.

"Only if you can't behave. Now let's get you in front of this big mirror over here." She complied, if only because the slave girl gave her a look of warning that chilled her to the bone. Max had been too busy reflecting on her predicament to pay attention to her attire but as she gazed in the mirror her curiosity was piqued. She'd been given a deep blue and black sports bra, matching spandex shorts, and nothing to cover her feet. Her hair was done into two long boxer braids/cornrows, and her makeup was minimal. She couldn't help but wonder what the point of the outfit was, as it was revealing but not necessarily sexy, and therefore wasn't likely meant to be humiliating.

"Now, time to get to the grand tour. Follow me. You, stay here and tidy up, then report to the kitchen." The slave immediately began doing as told, and Max allowed herself to be led out, hoping to find possible escape routes. She decided to distract Mad Jackson from her obvious search by pretending interest in the living arrangements.

"What should I call her?"

"Who, the girl back there? You shouldn't call her anything. You simply give her an order, and she'll follow it."

"That's horrible! How many of them are there? How did you get them? Can she even speak?"

"There are as many as I need, and I have a few friends who supply me. As for speaking, well, it doesn't help her do her job. Now, enough about her. You stop trying to find a way out, and I'll start the tour, okay?" Max frowned and turned her attention towards figuring out where she was and memorizing the building. She discovered that they were in a small skyscraper on the edge of the city (though exactly where she couldn't tell) and the two of them shared the penthouse; there were kitchens, gyms, lounges, and offices for both them and Mad Jackson's non-slave employees; and almost all of the non-paperwork work was done in the many basement floors. As she was led into one wing of the basement marked "Experiments", Max couldn't help but wonder how Mad Jackson could have raised enough funds and created such a conspicuous headquarters (at least in criminal terms) without her knowing about it. After all, she ran the biggest crime ring in the region.

Max was torn from her thoughts by the opening of a door as one of the slaves that she recognized from the kitchen tour was dragged into the laboratory by a guard.

"This one was just caught attempting to poison some soup, sir." Mad Jackson's handsome face twisted with cruelty.

"Excellent, excellent, strap him down here. Maxie, darling, you're about to see why my special friends that I told you about earlier are funding me. You see, they're not interested in the drugs or weapons. No, they're interested in a more noble pursuit: the evolution of humanity. Not everyone can be evolved, unfortunately, but I like to think of it as natural selection. Now, thanks to this handy little mineral called terrigen, this little guy is going to have the honor that many may only dream of." With that, he gripped a small crystal with a pair of tongs and held it against the slave's skin. For one heart-stopping moment, there was no effect. Then the man's screams filled the air as his skin began to change.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! I have a few more chapters stored up so this should be updated again soon. As always, please review!**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	4. Unveiled Threats

**I do not own Maximum Ride.**

In under 30 seconds the man's skin had become covered in solid rock and his screams abruptly cut off. Max backed away in horror and Mad Jackson sighed.

"Fifth one this week. We've only had two successes and even those were week. But, no matter. Once my scientists have perfected a new serum to be used with the terrigen, the successes should be more... _useful_ to my special friends.

Now, this is where you come in. They want the best possible specimen to be the first to test it, and well, I couldn't help but think of you. Unfortunately, my recommendation wasn't exactly enough to secure you the honor; first you must prove yourself."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." He grinned.

"Oh Maxie, you really don't have a choice. If you don't then I'll just have to try to turn you without the serum, and you saw how unstable that could be. Now let's go start your first test!" Max glanced back to where a lab assistant was removing the slave's remains and shuddered before hurrying after her captor.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this new chapter, even if it's rather short. This should be updated again this Friday. You can find me on Tumblr and We Heart It at** ** _MissTiffanyLuxe_** **where I post inspiration and sneak peeks for my fics. As always, please review!**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	5. Max's Mercy

**I don't own Maximum Ride.**

The crowd erupted in raucous cheers as Max's opponent landed a vicious kick to her side. She stumbled back a step or two before rolling her shoulders and bringing her fists back up. The wiry girl stalked towards her, eyes flashing with wild abandon as she lashed out with another kick, almost catching Max off guard. Max lunged away at the last moment and grabbed the girls leg, using her momentum to twist it around until she heard a sickening crack that was accompanied by a resounding scream. The girl collapsed onto her injured leg and Max immediately pinned her arms to her sides. The girl struggled frantically to free her arms before abandoning them in favor of slamming her head against Max's. Max's head jerked backwards and she was forced to steady herself against the chain-link fence that kept her contained. She was roughly shoves off by someone behind her and stumbled back towards the center. She danced around an attempted punch before lunging in to deliver a sharp kick to the girl's abdomen before changing her mind mid-step and bringing her knee up to meet the side of her opponent's head. She sank to her knees and allowed herself a deep breath.

"Finish her, Maxie!" Her head snapped up to meet Mad Jackson's gaze with disbelief. The deal had been that she'd win, and she had; her opponent lay unconscious on the ground. No one had said anything about _killing_ her. Max struggled back to her feet and the crowd roared its approval until she spit in Mad Jackson's general direction and made her way to the gate, which was reluctantly opened for her.

Mad Jackson called out to her as she stalked off in the direction that their car was waiting, unwrapping the tape on her hands as she did.

"Max, darling, you're going to regret this!" She didn't doubt his sincerity, but she didn't think that there was anything he could do to make her regret sparing the emaciated young girl. Max was wrong.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please please review :)**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	6. Morning Surprise

Max woke up to find Mad Jackson (thankfully) already gone, and so went about her business as she knew she would likely be instructed to anyways, not bothering to turn on the lights until she stubbed her toe on a dark object that she could've sworn hadn't been there the night before. She flicked the light on and the entire building echoed with the sound of her scream as she gazed in horror at the now statue-like body of her former opponent.

 **Author's Note: Thank you so much to** **LlamasRCool** **for reviewing! If you enjoy this fic, please share it; it doesn't get a lot of attention.**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	7. Tough Decisions

Max killed every opponent that she faced off against after that, if only out of mercy. She'd steadily worked her way through all of the opponents that Mad Jackson had for her, much to his glee. For his part, he'd been doggedly trying to win her over to his side, with expensive dinners and clothes. Somehow, Max didn't really think that it made up for the threat of being turned to stone. Apparently he agreed, as one night as she was climbing into bed he spoke up from where she'd assumed he'd been sleeping.

"You know Maxie, it _is_ my decision who the test subject for our new serum is, and I _am_ rather fond of you…I'd hate to see you harmed if the experiment failed. We do have other candidates, of course, but what would I do with you if you weren't used for that? I couldn't let you go, of course, but staying here as my partner, with all the luxuries and privileges that that entails, wouldn't be so bad, would it?" He placed his finger over her lips as she opened her mouth to respond.

"Ah ah ah, I don't expect a decision now. Your last fight is tomorrow night; assuming you win, you may decide afterwards. I know that the choice between being a rock and lasting happiness is a hard one." With that, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body, nuzzling his face into her neck despite her shiver of disgust.

 **Author's note: Huge thank you to LammasRCool for your review and Theflamingwarrior for your PM! Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :)**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	8. Final Trial, Final Chance

To her surprise, Max was given a knife before being shoved into the ring. She immediately fell into a defensive stance as she sized up her unarmed opponent. He was big and bulky, but not as much as she'd expected her final and most difficult opponent to be. Max lunged forwards, hoping to land a slash to the stomach and end this ordeal quickly. As the knife connected with flesh, however, Max was knocked to the ground by a punch that had come from beside her. She scrambled back to her feet, keeping her knife between her and her adversary.

Or rather, adversaries. Where there had only been one man before, there were now three identical ones each with glowing eyes. The two on the sides stepped forwards and Max shook off her disbelief in favor of sweeping the legs of the one on the right, slitting his throat as he fell. The man in the middle (the original, she noted by the cut on his stomach) glowed brightly and soon there was a new clone beside him.

 _I have to kill the original._ Max dodged around the punch that one clone threw at her and rushed around him, only to be caught around the waist by the other and flung to the ground. She cried out as she received a harsh kick to the ribs, but rolled out of the way of a second. She sprang to her feet and immediately felt strong fingers grip her throat, trying to squeeze the life out of her. Gasping, she clawed at the hands with one of hers while she used the other to fling her knife at her original opponent. Through her spotty vision she saw it bury itself in his neck and he fell to to the ground gurgling. Her neck was released as both clones fell, unresponsive. She gulped in air greedily, rubbing her bruised neck as she was led through the cheering crowd.

 **Author's Note: Thank you to** **The Potato** **and** **Edgeblade25** **for your reviews and** **Theflamingwarrior** **for your lovely PMs. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	9. Crossed

"I can't say I'm surprised that you passed the tests. Nevertheless, I'm very pleased and I know my special friends are too. Now, I trust you've thought over my offer from last night? It's very generous in my opinion, seeing as you spurned me and tried to have me killed back when we were all friends. No matter; all of that is behind us. Now it's time for you to choose between being my wife, and being the test subject of a potentially harmful experiment." With that folded his hands and stared across the table at her intently. Max took a gulp of champagne to prepare herself, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze.

"Marry you. I-I'll marry you, but you have to give me your word that you won't turn me."

"Very well, darling, I swear it. Convinced?"

"Hardly. I want to see the experiment done and all the serum used up. Then I'll believe it." Mad Jackson sighed.

"Well this isn't exactly how I'd intended this evening to go, but very well. Now, finish your champagne and follow me." She downed it quickly and followed him down to the lab.

"Guards, restrain her." He noted her look of horror and sighed as two of his men held her by the arms. "It's for your own good, Maxie; we both know how distressed you get watching these and we wouldn't want you to do anything rash. Now, bring in the subjects!" Max's attention was turned towards the door as five gurneys were wheeled in, each occupant struggling fiercely. Max grew pale. Jackson's new test subjects were her adopted 'family': Fang, Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel.

 **Author's Note: Thank you to all who have read, please review! This chapter is dedicated to** **Theflamingwarrior** **for your lovely PM and continued interest :)**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	10. Surprise!

"Yes, yes, Maxie, I know that I said no harm would come to your friends, and hopefully it won't if the serum works. Besides their predicament is your fault, really. You were the best candidate, but if you weren't available then the next best thing would be those trained by you. The guards caught them sneaking around the building in a rescue attempt during your fight." Max struggled against the strong arms that restrained her and more guards came over as she attempted to lung forwards.

"I've changed my mind; take me instead, please!" Mad Jackson merely signaled to the waiting scientists and they began injecting her friends.

"I'm sorry darling, but you already made your choice. Now you must watch the consequences of your actions. And know that if you're anything other than obedient, I'll have to experiment on some slaves too. Now, carry on with the experiment!"

The scientists stepped forwards and began touching the terrigen crystals to each of her friends, who were quickly enveloped in a rock-like layer. Max was led back to the penthouse, where she numbly showered and put on the outfit laid out for her, eyes wet from more than the shower.

Mad Jackson slipped into the dim room, admiring her in her lingerie before moving behind her to rub her shoulders in what Max supposed was meant to be a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry Max, but think of it this way: now there's nothing to distract you from _us_ , because there's nothing left out there for you. Now be a good girl and play nicely." He turned her around to face him and tenderly smoothed the tears off her face with a gloved thumb. "There we go." He pulled her slowly closer.

"C'mon darling, you wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt because of your actions, would you?" He drew her into a deep kiss, exploring her body hungrily with his tongue and hands, the guilt of her friends' deaths numbing her when she might've resisted. Max allowed her eyes to close as Jackson's lips moved down to her neck before crying out as a sharp pain bloomed in her stomach. She stumbled back onto the bed, gasping in horror as she gazed down at the shard of crystal that protruded from her gut as her skin turned to rock around it.

"You bastard-" Max's words were cut off as the rocky layer encased her mouth, and the last thing she saw was the smirk on Mad Jackson's face.

 **Author's Note: Hope you like this chapter! Thank you to** **LlamasRCool** **for your lovely review and** **Theflamingwarrior** **for your lovely PM.**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	11. Awake

There was nothing. Nothing but darkness and an endless, searing pain. Max had long since lost track of time, too consumed by the fire coursing through her to form a thought. There was nothing to think about anyway. Nothing but the pain, searing her skin, suffocating her, stinging her eyes. She blinked reflexively, the darkness a welcome relief from the unyielding light.

 _Wait...light? Blinking?_ Max forced herself through the fog in her mind to find that yes, her eyes were no longer immobile. She squinted, the harsh lights stinging as she forced her eyes to adjust. She was in what appeared to be a lab. Max unconsciously shifted her head to expand her view, and realized with a jolt that the rocky cocoon was falling away easily. Her pain fading to a dull ache radiating from her back, she succeeded in breaking her upper body free. Her clothes were dusty and peppered with rips.

The echo of approaching footsteps made her scramble to find cover, settling finally on folding her arms as a meager shield. It was only a scientist who entered, however, and he was so absorbed with his tablet that he took no notice of her. He busied himself with a set of vials, glancing up briefly and proceeding to drop them with a yelp.

"You...you...How did you get out?" The stout man hurried over, fumbling to extricate her from the remains of the stone cocoon. When Max made no move to speak, he began rambling nervously about data from previous trials. "You weren't due out for another day, at least! Even the others-"

"Others? You mean my friends are alive?" The man's mouth clamped shut, his skin pale.

"You were not supposed to know that. Oh, the boss will not be pleased. He wanted to be here for your emergence." He licked his lips. "Come with me, we need to clean you up and run some tests before we present you." Max stumbled after him dumbly, too preoccupied with her pain and thoughts of her friends to protest.

 _I have to find them and get the fuck out of here._ She ran escape strategies through her mind as she was led into a shower capsule, relaxing only when it filled with gas.

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the long time between updates, I've had some pretty bad writer's block. Thank you to the following for your lovely reviews and PMs: MutantFreak123, Faxxxx, you-could-in-new-hampshire! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please please review3 You can find me on tumblr and We Heart It as misstiffanyluxe.**


	12. Songbird

Max rattled the gold bars in frustration. She'd awoken to find herself in an elaborate birdcage in Jackson's office. Though it was a situation she certainly had never imagined being in, it was also the less surprising discovery; much more startling were the wings protruding from her back. From the experimental flaps she'd done she'd surmised that the were functional, and yeah, it would be pretty cool to be able to fly, but she was still royally pissed about how she got them.

The hiss of the door signaled the entrance of the object of her hatred and Max lunged at the bars. Speak of the devil. Mad Jackson, for his part, chuckled.

"A cage for my canary, oh how I've outdone myself."

"You motherfucking bastard! What did you do to me?"

"Isn't it obvious? I made you better, superior to the average human. According to the scans, you're faster and stronger than a grown man twice your size."

"Why?"

"Why did this happen? Your genes are compatible with the terrigen, and my serum stabilized and boosted your transformation. Why did this happen to you? You ruined my life once; I figured I'd return the favor. Now I've got work to do, so be a good little birdie and shut up if you're not going to sing."

"Wait!" she called, desperate, and Mad Jackson paused in his departure to look at her quizzically. "The others- are they really alive?" He smirked.

"For now. But their survival depends on cooperation, like yours, so I can't really say how long they'll remain in one piece. You are a rebellious bunch, after all."

Max slumped against the bars as Jackson began working at his desk. Worry and relief war inside of her. They're alive. But they're still in danger.

 **Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you to Iamthebestwriter and you-could-in-new-hampshire for your reviews! Please review 3**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


	13. Human

They next few hours passed uneventfully. Max remained curled up on the cool floor of her cage, examining Jackson as he did paperwork and made calls, holding conversations that he didn't think she could hear. She gleaned little information of importance, however, and redirected her focus to her growing hunger. How long has it been since I last ate? A day? Two?

Mad Jackson finally acknowledged her as her stomach growled, smirking as he pressed a button on his desk. The imprisoned girl who had dressed her previously hurried in with a tray and knelt to place it in front of the cage, and Max crawled eagerly forward to reach for a sandwich from the pile. As she extended her arm through the bars the girl scrambled back, meeting her gaze with a look of such pity and fear that Max felt she had to shield herself. Never before had she felt so much like a monster; she'd been someone to be feared, sure, but not something. Am I even human anymore? Even if I escape, will I ever be able to show myself? Her heart raced and suddenly Max's appetite was gone. She dropped the uneaten sandwich and Mad Jackson raised an eyebrow from where her reclined at his desk.

"I'd eat, if I were you; you'll need to be full strength so I can show you off at my little get-together tonight."

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Big scene coming up next chapter, I'll update in four reviews so please review! Huge thanks to you-could-in-new-hampshire, Flowersocks2137, and lostzombiewolf for your reviews :)**

 **Much love, Miss Luxe**


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